I want to thank everyone at CIMB for putting on a great tournament for us last week and also thank the fans at TPC Kuala Lumpur who were really wonderful all week.
As players we all applaud what CIMB, in partnership with the PGA TOUR and Asian Tour, has done here and it’s good to see that the company has extended its title sponsorship through to 2020. With a $7 million purse and the full quota of FedExCup points up for grabs, this tournament now attracts a strong and eclectic international field. This year there were major winners, tournament winners, Ryder Cup players and young up-and-coming talent from the Asian Tour, one of whom I played with on Saturday. Young Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines has a lot of talent and I really enjoyed his company and talking to him about his hopes and dreams. I’m sure he’ll do great.
For many people watching on TV they may not know much about the pedigree of golf courses in Malaysia. This tournament gives a great global platform to show the beauty of the country and that its wonderful golf courses are just one of the many reasons to visit. We have been aware of this beauty for some time and are also a part of shaping its future. I am honored to be working with our clients at Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels with The Els Club projects across two distinct resorts; one in the north on the Island of Langkawi at Teluk Datai and the second in the south (just north of Singapore) at Desaru Coast. We are excited our clubs have been given such good worldwide recognition, with The Els Club Teluk Datai (pictured below) entering the Golf Digest Top-100 Courses in the World list at number 83 in its first year!
I am also really proud of my role as an international ambassador and honorary member of the Asian Tour. The talent across the continent is immense and I see them getting stronger and stronger all the time. As I mentioned, every time I play with some of the younger players on Tour I am impressed not only by their talent but more importantly by their temperament. Last week in Kuala Lumpur I was paired with Hideki Matsuyama, someone I’m obviously quite familiar with nowadays, but playing with him again reminded me what a wonderful ball-striker and all-round great player he is. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that he has the game to win a major and I told him as much as we chatted together on the way round. He’s the complete package and he just needs to find a way to make that breakthrough now.
Anyway, last week the competitor in me wanted to travel out there and win a golf tournament. Having played this course in three of my four appearances in the CIMB Classic, I’m comfortable with the layout. It’s the type of golf course where you know there’s a low number out there if you get on a bit of a roll and build some momentum. Thursday was a solid start and I felt that 2-under par was the worst I could have shot; I played solid golf and grazed the edges on quite a few birdie putts. Then from Friday on it is fair to say that the 18th hole had my number. It was one of the hardest par-5s on Tour in 2014 and is a brute at 634 yards. I played that hole in 7-over par for these next three days and that really puts a dent in any momentum you have.
As always, I’m looking forwards and maintaining a positive outlook. As I’ve said, my results haven’t been great in 2016, but my game feels better than that. It is definitely closer to where I want it to be than my results have been indicating. I just have to keep working hard on my game and on my physical conditioning. On that front, I’m happy to say my ankle is feeling much improved compared to a few weeks ago.
I’ll now enjoy a week off at home with the family in Florida before I continue my 2016/17 PGA TOUR campaign with back-to-back weeks at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas and the OHL Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I’m looking forward to both weeks.
In the middle of those two tournaments, Liezl and me will be hosting this year’s Els for Autism Golf Challenge Grand Finale in Las Vegas. I’ll make a point of calling-in on the team here in Florida this week to see what they have in store for us this year. They do an amazing job and it’s always a fun couple of days. There are lots of familiar faces and there’s that shared sense of passion and camaraderie that comes when good people pull together for a common cause. I’ll talk more on that in a couple of weeks.
For now, I just want to end this report by sending my congratulations to Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a former member of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, who recently won his maiden Sunshine Tour event, the Sun Fish River Challenge. It was only 12 months ago that we were praising him for securing his 2016 Tour card in the Big Easy Tour Championship at The Els Club Copperleaf, a fine effort in his rookie year. Now here he is with his first main Tour win under his belt already. We’re all proud of you Christiaan and wish you continued success in your career.
Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.
